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Fish: Communion

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Chocolate Frog Records
Released: 2007
Time:
 68:45 / 40:09
Category: Progressive Rock
Producer(s): Calum Malcolm
Rating:
Media type: CD double
Web address: www.fishheadsclub.com
Appears with: Marillion
Purchase date: 2013
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


Disc 1

[1] The Field (Dick/Watson) - 8.19
[2] Jumpsuit City (Dick/Boult/Cassidy) - 5.30
[3] Favourite Stranger (Dick/Usher) - 5.50
[4] Shot the Craw (Dick/Watson/Duguid) - 5.28
[5] State of Mind (Dick/Simmonds/Lindes) - 7.32
[6] Tilted Cross (Dick/Jackson/Johnson) - 4.22
[7] Fortunes of War (Dick/Cassidy/Boult) - 6.37
[8] Just Good Friends (Dick/Usher/Boult/Simmonds) - 6.03
[9] Incomplete (Dick/Antwi/Milett) - 4.06
[10] Change of Heart (Dick/Boult) - 3.44
[11] Lady Let It Lie (Dick/Paton/Cassidy) - 5.55
[12] A Gentleman's Excuse Me (Dick/Simmonds) - 4.19


Disc 2

[13] Rites of Passage (Dick/Simmonds) - 6.00
[14] The Lost Plot (Dick/Turrell) - 4.53
[15] Slainthe Mhath (Dick/Rothery/Mosley/Kelly/Trewavas) - 5.13
[16] Chelsea Monday (Dick/Kelly/Pointer/Rothery/Trewavas) - 6.11
[17] Scattering Crows (Dick/Watson/Turrell/Duguid) - 5.22
[18] Tara (Dick/Paterson) - 5.29
[19] Raw Meat (Dick/Paterson) - 7.01

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Fish - Lead Vocals
Frank Usher - Guitar
Andy Trill - Guitar
Steve Vantsis - Bass
Tony Turrell - Keyboards
Gavin Griffiths - Drums
Dave Haswell - Percussion

Heather Findlay - Backing Vocals, Bodhran, Low Whistle
Angela Gordon - Backing Vocals, Flute, Penny Whistle
Anne Marie Helder - Backing Vocals
Tara Dick - Backing Vocals

Calum Malcolm - Engineer, Mastering, Mixing, Producer
Kelvin "Yatta" Boys Yates - Production manager
Elspeth Laidlaw - Event coordinator and Fish's personal assistant
Steve Rispin - Sound engineer (Out front)
Paul Kennedy - Sound engineer (Monitors)
Mark Tomlinson - Back line technician
Angus Fearful - Back line technician
Chris Brown - Lights
Andy "Tosh" McIntosh - Video Projections
Mark Wilkinson - Cover Design
Gregor Millar - Assistant Production Manager
Mo Warden - Web Site Management, Technical Co-Ordination
Pete Oram - Web Site Management, Technical Co-Ordination

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Communion is a 2CD, mostly acoustic set recorded by Fish and his band at St. Mary's Church Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland on August 27th, 2006. It's a rather warm and intimate show, with a very varied set list that draws from most of his solo career plus a few Marillion pieces. Surprisingly, if you've been following Mr. Derek Dick the last 5-10 years or so, you've no doubt noticed the quality of his vocals have really suffered over the years, especially in a live environment, but here, in this rather subdued acoustic setting, he actually sounds quite good. Perhaps not having to compete with loud guitars and keyboards allowed the richness of his voice to come out more naturally than at the normal electric gig, and the results are quite charming. He's got the full band here, along with backing singers Heather Findlay (from Mostly Autumn, who he was engaged to at the time-this show pre-dates their split), Angela Gordon, Anne Marie Helder, and his daughter Tara Dick. Don't expect much in the way of musical bombast or Fish's in-between song banter here, as the set is geared towards more mellow fare. Highlights are "Just Good Friends", "Lady Let It Lie", "Favourite Stranger", "Fortunes of War", and a stunning rendition of "Slainthe Mhath". You can tell the singer was completely moved when his daughter comes to sing with him on the tune "Tara", which he penned for her, and "Raw Meat" closes the set on an emotional note. Fans of Fish who might be in the mood for a more laid back and casual live show in a most acoustic setting should really enjoy this one.



Lead singer of a band to solo artist is not the easiest transition to make. Generally speaking the riches are greater but the critical recognition less forthcoming. McCartney has only recently been forgiven for Wings, Sting has never been forgiven for anything post Police, whilst the once mercurial Ian Brown now seems to be one more bad gig away from a 9-5 job in Burtons. So what about erstwhile Marillion front man Fish? Has solo life been hard on Lothian's finest? His new live album Communion gives us the perfect opportunity to examine not only his back catalogue but also his current ability to wow an audience. Well I have to say, Communion isn't half bad! No actually it was bloody good. It's a fine showcase for Fish's fantastic voice, few artists sound this rich during a live performance and the crowd seem to be enjoying themselves without their presence encroaching on the music. Over two CDs Fish treats us to a thorough rendition of his best work. He may have no grasp of the perfect 3-minute pop song but when you sit back and listen to Communion, you become more fully aware of the fact that was never hisntention. Without a doubt fan or not it's hard not to recognise Fish as one of Scotland's few truly enigmatic front men.

8/10. Chris Hammond



I just got my copy of Communion about a week ago (I missed the initial pre-order somehow!). For my money, this is THE best live Fish release in a long time! This really brings me back to the old days of the Official Bootlegs. It's just such a great set list, Fish's voice sounds the best it has in a long time, and the performances are so inspired. Also, IMO the packaging looks and feels as great as the RtC and Bouillabaisse packaging, yet done by little old Chocolate Frog! Three cheers to Fish et al! Great work.

Jared Levin, 7 May 2007



I'd highly recommend the Communion CD, arguably the best sounding live CD in Fish's collection to date. It truly captured the nights as we remembered them, not to mention the musicianship is outstanding. Excellent recording in all respects and in a very professional package. This sounded so much like the church gigs we experienced it was like an acid flashback... not that we would know anything about that :-P Anyone Stateside worried about delivery will be amazed how quickly it arrives. This CD came within 10 days, F.I.S.H. might give Amazon.com a run for their money.

Chris Lussier, 2 May 2007



This is a sweet, touching concert. With fiancee-to-be Heather and daughter Tara present, Fish is obviously in a reflective mood, and the emotion comes through beautifully. The big guy's voice may not soar like it once did, but he still gets the message across. And the acoustic version of the old classic Slainte Mhath may be the best rendition yet. Wonderful stuff!

David Dyte, 28 Apr 2007



Anyone out there that has not ordered Fish's Communion - Two Words - Do it! What an excellent recording! The semi-acoustic performance adds a whole new depth to many of the songs, not to mention the ambient backing vocals added by the lovely ladies. Way too many high points to mention. The Lost Plot's ending melding into Slainthe Mhath. A version of Change Of Heart that really rocks! Like I said it's not like buying the same songs live. The mix and performance is top notch and Fish's voice is upfront and never sounded stronger. Just a great package! In between banter is left out and the two discs move at a great pace and groove. Lots of material played live for the first time including Tara (with Tara on backing vocal) Just a fantastic set! Only thing missing is a bottle of wine!

George (From Cleveland), 30 Apr 2007



Es sind die Heddington Weekends, die im schottischen Heimatort des Onkels immer wieder für regen Zulauf sorgen. Um einem ansprechenden Ambiente gerecht zu werden, hatte Mr. Dick am 27.08.06 in die St. Mary's Church geladen, einem historischen Ort, an dem er ehemals beabsichtigte, seine Freundin Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn) zu ehelichen. Das Thema 'Heirat' dürfte sich vorerst erledigt haben, was allerdings nichts daran ändert, dass wir hier Zeuge eines tollen unplugged Auftrittes werden.

Fish präsentiert vor 400 Fans einen Abriss über sein Soloschaffen. Seine Vergangenheit bei Marillion streift er nur ganz kurz, in dem er im letzten Teil des Konzertes die Klassiker "Slainthe Mhath" und "Chelsey Monday" singt. Alles andere finden wir auf den zahlreichen Soloplatten des Schotten. Besonders interessant für den Fan, als auch für den Sammler, dürften die Stücke "The Field", "Favourite Stranger", "Shot The Craw" und "Tara" sein, die bisher angeblich noch nicht live dargeboten wurden. Letzteres erhält nochmals einen sich steigernden Wert, da bei diesem Auftritt die Tochter des Protagonisten persönlich mit auf der Bühne steht und ihren Beitrag im Rahmen der Backing-Vocals abliefert.

Das Line-up, welches auf der Bühne steht, setzt sich zum einen aus der bereits gut eingespielten Stammband zusammen, hinzu kommen Gastmusiker, wie z.B. Dave Haswell, der mit anspruchsvollen Percussions den Songs eine zusätzliche besondere Note gibt. Auch in der Auswahl der Instrumente war man nicht zimperlich. Es ist nicht nur akustisches Equipment, welches zum Einsatz kommt. Vor allen Dingen ein elektrischer Kontrabass von Steve Vantsis sowie die gespielten Querflöten unterstreichen den guten Eindruck der gewählten Setlist. Die äußerliche Aufmachung dieser Doppel-Scheibe kann man, wie gewohnt, als gelungen bezeichnen. Für das Cover-Artwork zeichnet erneut Mark Wilkinson verantwortlich. Im Booklet finden wir zahlreiche und ausführliche Statements von Fish zum Konzert.

Live-Dokumente sollen etwas Besonderes bieten. "Communion" wird diesem Anspruch an sich auch gerecht. Zusammen mit Heather Findlay singt Fish bei "Just Good Friends" und "Incomplete" im Duett. Ansonsten präsentiert er sein Repertoire auf eine sehr andächtige Art und Weise. Die Songs werden sanft und ruhig gespielt, bei aller Zurückhaltung behalten Gefühl und Emotionen die Oberhand. Es ist ein Konzert zum Hören und zum Genießen, vorausgesetzt man mag die Musik von Fish.

"Jumpsuit City" bekommt durch die Chorgesänge das nötige Etwas, "Show The Craw" besticht durch seine einfühlsame Instrumentierung. Die Leadstimme ist erstaunlich treffsicher und erklingt niemals überfordert. Das ist um so erstaunlicher, da hier angeblich an den Aufnahmen kaum nachgeregelt wurde. Das Publikum nimmt die Performance aller Musiker gut an. Deswegen fällt es auch kaum auf, dass zwischen den einzelnen Tracks keinerlei Geplauder, wie sonst üblich, zu hören ist.

Klavier und Keyboards machen besonders positiv bei "Fortunes Of War" vom Album "Suits" auf sich aufmerksam. Das fällt mir besonders auf, halte ich den genannten Longplayer aus dem Jahr 1994 doch eher für einen schwächeren Auszug aus der langen Karriere von Fish. Das traumhafte "Rites Of Passage" von "Raingods Of Zippos" aus 1999 ist hingegen einer meiner persönlichen Lieblingssongs.

Es gibt sicherlich noch die eine oder andere Nummer, die man sich gewünscht hätte. Insgesamt bekommen wir hier dennoch eine sehr ausgewogene Songsauswahl, und ich halte diese Veröffentlichung für eine sehr gelungene Sache. Jetzt sind wir noch auf "13th Star" gespannt. Der neueste Studio-Output ist bereits über den künstlereigenen Shop erhältlich, kann auf der anstehenden Hallentour erworben werden und wird aller Voraussicht zu Beginn des Jahre 2008 in den Läden stehen.

Ralf "Jogi" Ruhenstroth - RockTimes.de
 

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